Night over Nottingham
by SundownStar
Summary: A FanFiction based upon the movie Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Parts of it are with erotic and fights. --- November, 24th 2009. I finally made a Beta of my story. Some writing mistakes got removed. Reviews are still very welcome. ;


Title: **Night over Nottingham**  
Category: Movies » Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves  
Author: Dreaming-Kris  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: K  
Genre: General/Humor  
Published: 01-15-07, Updated: 01-15-07  
Chapters: 1, Words: 13,586

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**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

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**Night over Nottingham**

A Fan Fiction based upon "Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves"

Written by Kirsten Hegeler, 2007

Beginnings

It was late as Lorena went to bed at least. However, that could not concern her, because she was on vacation for the coming weeks. Therefore, she could sleep long at the next day. Too bad that the dear colleagues had to line up already at four o'clock in the morning to the service. Anyhow, the movie had been worth remaining up for so long. She did not really like Kevin Costner, but on the other hand, there were one of her favourite actors in the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Now, nevertheless, this Alan Rickman was, really, a feast for the eyes as the Sheriff. Too bad that he had to die at the end. She took off her pullover, which she threw heedlessly over the back of the chair at her desk. Then she peeled off her Jeans and threw them afterwards over the pullover. Already she crawled under the blanket of her bed and snuggled up. Suddenly the room was illuminated brightly and only seconds later, it slammed outside. "Well. Since when does it thunder?" murmured Lorena lowly, while she stared fixedly half-raised to the window. She had not noticed at all that the weather was turned. "All the same." She lay down again and stretched the blanket up to the chin. The sleep came quickly and with it strange dreams.

Bad awaking

"My Lady. It is about time. You should get up now."

"Hm."

"My Lady. I ask you. The Sheriff does not wait gladly."

"Leave me. Am tired."

"But, my Lady … You should listen."

_Give me a second! Who talks there?_ Lorena opened horrified her eyes. Because she lay on her right side, she should have seen now her clock radio. But it was not there. As well as the bedside table, the lamp on the table or the light blue wall behind it. Like being stung from a hot needle, she arose and looked completely aghast and confuses around in a foreign room. _Yes, well. It is clear. I ... I dream! Yes! Exactly! I am still asleep and have just a totally cracked dream! This is it!_ Her look fell on a woman in a simple, dark dress at who smiled evidently eased.

"I will send Angela, so that she is helpful for you while dressing" said the woman, bowed and turned to the door.

Lorena understood nothing at all anymore. "Just a moment!" She had to get her wildly circling thoughts under control. "Sheriff? You ... You have said something about the Sheriff?"

"Naturally, my Lady. He wishes to see you at the table. Because you are awake now, I will inform him about the fact that you soon perform company to him." The woman still smiled friendly.

_Sheriff? What the hack is going on here? Which Sheriff? Where am I actually?_ Confused she let herself fall back into the pillow and pulled the blanket to the nose. "I do not come" she grumbled into the blanket.

"But, my Lady!" The attendant sounded in dismay. "He will not like this."

"I do not come." Lorena turned on her left side and pulled the blanket still a little higher. _I have to fall asleep quickly again. When I wake up, I will be at home again. Definitely. This has to work._ She closed her eyes and began counting lambs.

Not even a quarter hour later the door to the room, in which Lorena still desperate tried to fall asleep, crashed loudly against one of the walls. She winced. _Who ever this is. This one is really mad._ Then a furious, bearded face with darkly sparkling brown eyes and an impressive nose pushed before her eyes.

"You dare to offend me this way?"

_Alan? Oh my God! What goes on here? What does he do here? And why does he have such a beard like in... Oh, no. This ... can ... not – or?_ She crept deeper into the blanket.

The man, she was not sure about him yet whether he was the actor or the Sheriff, lowered his voice to an urgent whispering. "Either you get up now to perform to me company, or I will ask the witch to take care of you."

_Witch? Thanks, now, but I really have no desire on this ugly woman._ "If you want me to tear her heart from the body ..." Lorena growled bitterly.

"Pardon me?" In his eyes appeared a dangerous glittering. "Do you possibly want...?"

She tore the blanket of her shoulders, arose abruptly, and yelled at the man: "Leave me in peace! My head is aching and you have to do nothing better than to threaten me with your witch! Should this woman set only one foot in this room, it can absolutely happen that I forget my good education!" She whirled on her right side over and threw the blanket now completely over the head. _Oh my goodness! You are insane! With the clothes he wears, he actually is the Sheriff and not Alan. Now you are completely in a jam. He will never stand up with this, never!_ Surprised she winced again when the door fell crashing into the lock. _He simply leaves? This cannot go well. Why doesn't he just snarl at me?_

The morning had passed, without the Sheriff, one of the attendants or even the witch had shown up. Now a growling stomach made Lorena float from the bed and she tried to draw the being ready dress. It was obvious not meant to be drawn without help of a second person, but somehow she made it. Then she sat down in front of the semi-blind mirror, stared at herself for a while, and was surprised at this miserably long hair, which decorated now her head. _How did you get stranded in this story? And how do you get out of here?_ She began to bind the hair herself. After she was finished with it, she said to her reflection: "Well, now it's crawling. Hopefully you can pull out what you have bungled this morning." With weak knees she left the room, which was probably _her _room now for the first.

The castle was not just small, but at almost every corner guards stood around. Because she had no desire to look hour after hour for a man who was most likely still mad at her, she simply decided to ask one of these guards. "Tell me! Where do I find the Sheriff?" She tried to sound as if she was used to give orders.

"I do not know it, my Lady. The employees can tell this to you, perhaps."

"Hm." She simply left the man and went on. _Blasted._

Already behind the next corner, she hit on the woman whom had asked her in the morning to get up. "You. Can you tell me where the Sheriff is?"

"He is in the throne room."

"Throne room?" _If I only knew how to get there._ "I am still a little bit confused because of this morning" she murmured moved. "Where to find the throne room?"

"If you wish, I will escort you there" the attendant answered.

"I would be very grateful to you if you do this." She let the woman show her the way. Next to it, the attendant still mentioned other localities in the castle, which could become interesting sooner or later for Lorena. The woman seemed to anticipate something.

It needed a short while, but, at last, they had reached the door to the throne room. "Now, my Lady, you must excuse me. I have nothing lost in the throne room at this time of the day."

"Of course. And many thanks."

"At any time, my Lady." The maid bowed and went away.

Lorena breathed deeply several times, before she opened the door. A rapid look around the room told her that only the Sheriff and another man were in the hall. _Who is that now again? Oh yes, Guy of Gisbourne. His cousin. Toady crawler._ "Forgive me, Sire. I did not want to disturb you."

She wanted herself to steal out of the door as the voice of the Sheriffs whipped through the hall. "What do you want?" It was clear that he was still angry.

Lorena swallowed hardly. "Would you matter if I discussed it with you rather in private?"

"Go!" was his brief instruction to his cousin. This one bowed and disappeared through another door. "Now what?" He looked at her questioningly and piercingly.

"Sire, I would like to ask for apology for my impossible behaviour this morning." she started. _Consider now only a damn good excuse. No jokes are meant to be made with him. But even when he looks so furiously, he is somewhat cute. Hold it! Get a grip on yourself. He is dangerous if he is angry. He is not the actor!_ "I had unspeakable headaches. Every sound hurt in my ears, even the singing of the birds was a torture. All that can naturally be no reason to deprive me of you in this way." She got closer slowly to him and now she hardly stood one and a half meters before him. Of a sudden thought following she felt on her knees, and putted her hands on his left knee while she lowered her look. "I feel so miserably because of my behaviour towards to you."

Quite long time nothing happened. Then she felt how he carefully put one his hands on hers. He slipped a little forwards on the throne and now he raised with his other hand her chin, so that she looked at him. "Then you will perform company to me this evening?" Every sharpness had disappeared from his voice and his eyes gleamed softly and warmly.

Lorena had big effort to fight down her inside pressure, which ordered to her to kiss him. "It will be a pleasure to me, Sire."

"I will order to bring a dress for you. Carry it when you come to me." He approached further to her with the head.

"As you wish, Sire." Lorena felt how comfortable waves ran down her back. She still wanted to kiss him, but because she was caught in a story, which played in another time, she knew that it was not possible. Unfortunately.

"Then come at six o'clock to the dining room." He held his head now just perfectly to kiss. She felt his breath on her lips, could smell him and let very gladly her mind get twisted by his pheromones.

"I will be punctual, Sire." She could hardly hear her own words, so soft she had spoken.

Carefully he glided with his thumb over her lips. "I will wait this once for you, my Lady." Then he arose again, removed both hands, and looked at her as if nothing had happened.

Lorena got up, did a court crease, and said goodbye.

Interesting Dinner

Shortly after five o'clock, an attendant came to Lorena's room. Carrying on her arm she delivered a long, dark blue dress made of velvet. Even though the maid helped her in dressing and doing the hair, nevertheless the time passed by incredibly quickly. When, at last, everything was in such a way, as it should be, Lorena had only just ten minutes left to arrive on time in the dining room. She just raged through the door when she ran into the arms of the attendant of the morning. "Come. I will show you the way" she said with a knowing smile. Already at the next moment, two women ran as quickly as their legs carried them through the castle of Nottingham.

Completely out of breath, the women arrived one minute before six o'clock at the door to the dining room. "Thanks" could Lorena still whisper, before she opened the door.

The table was already covered with the dishes and the room had been stirred up by a proper sea of candles. At the head of the table the Sheriff already sat, holding a goblet in his hand. "You are punctual on the minute." He got up to greet her and to escort her to the table. But as he stood directly to her faced, he noticed that she still breathed hardly. "You are out of breath, my Lady."

Lorena smiled. "The dressing needed little bit longer than expected. I wanted to be a favour to your eyes. But because I wanted to be, however, also in time with you, nothing else remained to me than to run." _Racing would explain it probably better._

It was easy to recognize that he felt flattered. "But, my Lady. For a sight like yours I would have been ready to wait a few minutes." He offered his arm to lead her to the table. Gallantly he straightens the chair as she sat down. Almost she believed in feeling that he allowed his fingers to strike over her neck as by chance. He himself sat down again on the chair on which he had already sat at her arrival. "You are truly a beauty, my Lady."

"You flatter me, Sire." _My God, how can a man look so – so heavenly? This has to be forbidden!_

"But no. Rather my words may not be able to reveal what I feel." He lasted to one of the plates, which stood on the table and took a leg of the chicken. It seemed to taste quite good to him.

Lorena was content first of all with two thin strips of ham, which she rolled up and ate voluptuous and she let herself time with it. _Oh my gracious! What am I doing here?_ She had started to try to encourage him, without she realized it herself. But this short moment already seemed to have its effect in a not completely wrong way. She noticed how he estimated her with awake and first of all greedy eyes. She did not need to be able to read minds to know what was going on behind his forehead. And again, she did not have herself under control. She took one of the carrots, which were probably meant only to the decoration and nibbled timidly at the top. Besides, she fixed his look with her eyes and smiled. Was she wrong, or had he to swallow just quite hardly?

"What kind of game do you play, my Lady?" His voice sounded almost like a grater.

His words tore her from her thoughts. Suddenly she realized that she flirted again violently with him and promptly she got dark red. "Forgive me, Sire. Today I seem to have myself not completely under control. I also do not know what could cause this." _Of course, I know it. You are the reason. Oh no, why do you get up now? No, please, do not come over here! Oh God. Help. Do not get closer, otherwise I forget myself._ Slowly the Sheriff approached her, took in passing a new chicken leg and then he positioned himself behind her. Lorena became nervous. She felt that he placed his right hand on her shoulder and followed slowly the curve of her neck with the forefinger. She got a goose-skin of this light touch and closed the eyes. He glided slowly with the chicken leg over her lips, whereupon she bit heartily in it. She noticed how he bent down to her. Very closely to her left ear he stopped. It seemed to be an eternity in which he breathed quietly next to her. Instinctively she let her head sink against his. His skin was warm, his beard tickled her a little, and his breath glided gently over her face.

"Today you are truly not to yourself, my Lady" he whispered softly. "I could almost believe you would have become another person overnight."

She had efforts to keep her respiration quiet when she started to an answer. "Who knows? Perhaps..." She did not come any farther, because suddenly two delightfully soft lips closed fervently her mouth. This kiss robbed both her breath and her raison. She let herself go, answered the kiss with the identical passion how it came of him. Soon she felt how his tongue gentle glided over her lips. Only too gladly, she opened them for him. Another invitation was not needed, because hardly that she had opened her mouth far enough, his tongue played already carefully with hers. Then he walked around her chair, until he stood before her and bent now over her. She herself had started to explore his upper body with her hands. Now his hands also proceeded on a journey, first hesitantly and cautiously, but gradually beginning to get demanding. In the same grade, the intensity of their kiss increased. Just he began to work at the front lace-ups of her dress, as she occurred harshly that they were up to commit a sin. Well, at her time, it would not have interfered her in the lowest, but this here was just not her time. She came undone to her regret from the kiss and held now his hands. "Sire! We – are not allowed to …" _Unfortunately!_

"Must then the world find it out?" He tried to give her one more recent kiss, but this time she turned her head away.

"We would know it. And I would rather – wait."

With the rage of the disappointment, he arose again and went back to his chair. "As you wish! Then we will wait. But, at last, say how long!" he demanded of her, while he sat down on the chair.

"I cannot say it to you yet, Sire." Tears shot into her eyes. She did not want him to see her like this. Therefore, she jumped up and ran out of the dining room. She heard that something crashed against the door as she had closed it behind herself. She ran back to her room. As she arrived, she threw herself on the bed and cried into the pillow. _This cannot be true! Why has it to be this time? Why could he not have come to my time? Everything would be so much easier._ Some time later, she had wept herself in to the sleep.

A mad plan and the conspiracy of the women

The sunbeams of a new day tickled Lorena in the nose. She had to sneeze. A fast look throughout the room told to her that she was still on the castle of Nottingham. Softly someone knocked at the door. "In" she answered by reflex.

"Good morning, my Lady. You are already awake." It was the attendant of the day before.

In the moment, in which Lorena saw the maid, a bold idea came to her all of sudden. She jumped out of the bed. "You must help me!"

The attendant looked at her timid. "But, my Lady. I have already said to You, that I cannot help you to escape ..."

"Escape? Who talks about escape?" Lorena went her about the mouth. "No. I must go to the church. But the Sheriff may notice nothing of it. Do you think you can deflect him long enough?"

"To the church?" The woman needed a while to understand the meaning of the words. "Then you have decided to give your hand to him?" A hopeful smile spread out on the a little bit coarse face.

"You must conceal it at all costs before him. I want to surprise him with it!" Lorena looked at her like a conspirator. "Do you help me?"

The attendant nodded. "But naturally, my Lady. Should I send Angela, so that she is helpful for you while dressing?"

"No, no time." Her mad plan required to be moved in the act immediately, why she was content with smoothing the dress of previous evening a bit. "Only go off and prevent him somehow from looking after me."

"As you wish." The attendant went out of the room. Lorena waited a short moment, before she stole out of the room herself. Up to the portal of the castle, she managed it in spite of her ruffled appearance more or less unnoticed, but then the eyes of Guy of Gisbourne got fixed to her heels.

Lorena slid over the slippery bottom of the church and she lost the balance and landed rough on her backside. _Damn. I had thought that they polished the tile extra for the shooting! It is more terrible than a slippery ice. Where now is the bishop?_ To the right of her something rustled. She looked moved up to the bishop, who hastened to get to her.

"My dear child! Did something happen to you?" He helped her getting up on the feet again.

"No, no. Only a rough meeting with the floor." She appeased, while she recovered. "Or yes, it did happen something to me. And therefore I am here." Lorena brush down the back of her dress. "We should not discuss this here."

"If you think so. Then we should go perhaps into the confessional box ..." The bishop looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

She did not attach importance to a talk in the confessional box, really. "Well, then short and painless. How long would you need to initiate a marriage between the Sheriff and me?"

"Pardon me?" All expressions slipped out of the face of the clergyman. But not only out of his. Behind a pillar stood the cousin of the Sheriff and began just to consider whether he had misheard. "You want to marry him?"

"Oh yes. Nevertheless, he has asked for my hand. Why I hesitated up to now may knows the dev... I think you already know who." She grinned like a little school maggot. "So? How long?"

"Oh, well, my child. A marriage is a big step in the life. This must be well considered."

"Don't you want to understand me nor do you cannot?" Lorena was about to lose her patience. In the movie, the bishop did common thing with the Sheriff. Why did he now position himself so strictly? "I love him! I do not want to be any longer without him! Now, do not let me beg so hard, please." She went on the knees before the man.

A smile appeared on his face. "Against the love no herb has grown. Would this Saturday come to you conveniently?"

"Saturday? Today is ..."

"Tuesday."

Five days! It was to lose hair scuffle. Yesterday the Sheriff had managed that she wanted to eat him alive with hair and skin and the bishop came up with nothing else than to keep her waiting still five more days. Actually, she just wanted to ask the churchman to bring forward the wedding as she noticed from the edge of her eye that somebody wanted to steal out of the church. She recognized him immediately by his long hair. "No!" She left the man of the church and ran after Gisbourne. She got him just before he could get out of the hall, while she simply slammed the door before his nose. "My good, my best Guy of Gisbourne." She smiled at him on the friendliest. "Allow me to put a request to you."

"And that would be, Lady Marian?" he asked reserved.

_Marian? I am Marian? These mirrors are really good for nothing if this got not struck up to me yet. Or do we look actually that similarly?_ "I would welcome it very much if you reported nothing of this small conversation here to your cousin. I would rather tell it to him myself." She pulled awkwardly at the cape of her opposite.

"Why do you want to do so, if I may ask?" The distrust was clear to hear in his voice.

To Lorena it was like as if one had given her a hit with a baseball bat over the skull. _How can a single person be this off minded? He must be able to imagine - or perhaps not. If I remember correctly, he was not necessarily the brightest._ "Because I would like to surprise him with it. Finally, I kept needlessly long my decision from him. Therefore he may expect that I report to him my decision myself."

Particularly he did not seem to be convinced. Nevertheless, he said: "I give will you time till tomorrow."

"Only till tomorrow? You are impatiently, my friend. Give me two days and it should not be your harm." _Asks itself only how I should repay this favor to him. I will certainty not let this toady get too close to me!_

"You have time until tomorrow to inform my cousin about your plans, my Lady." He turned away, left the church with hurried steps, and let the portal close again behind himself.

Lorena bit on her lower lip and chewed on it around to calm down. But it helped nothing. Infuriated she expelled a cry. "Curse you, toady! He ruins everything to me!" She stamped with the foot.

"My child!" The bishop got angry. "A curse on God's grounds? I have to ask You."

She realized that she had forgotten for one moment that she was in a different time. "It does sorrow to me, Eminence. But he ... I had in mind ... he destroys my whole beautiful idea." Despaired she let herself down on one of the benches and hid her face in the hands.

Suddenly a hand lay down cautiously on her back and she noticed that the bishop sat down next to her. "What, actually, has been your idea on this, my child?" he asked friendly.

She looked at him and struggled according to words. "I wanted to lure him under a pretext here. And it would have been nice when you had already waited for us for the wedding... But now I can forget this. And only because of this..."

"Ah! Don't." The bishop reproved her. But then he smiled at her again. "Now, you should return and allow lying out a dress for tomorrow. You certainly want to grant to your future husband a beautiful sight."

"Tomorrow? But you said ..." She could hardly believe in her luck.

"Now go."

She jumped up and ran to the church door. Then she stopped so abruptly that she almost lost the balance again and ran back. Before she even stopped, she sank on the knees. "Have many thanks, Eminence! I will never forget this to you." Already the next second she was on the way out of the church again.

Lorena assumed correctly that the friendly maid would be in the kitchen. Thus, she asked there through and burst herself in the middle of the preparations for the lunch. Without any explanations, she snatched the hand of the attendant and dragged her behind herself. On the way to her room, she asked: "Did he already ask for me today?"

"Yes. Twice. It could not be avoided. But I did my possible, in order to bring other thoughts to him." The woman seemed to have noticed someone despite the hurry in one of the branching hallways, because she tore herself from Lorena and ran back. "Angela! Come along! Fast!"

The young woman came out from the hallway and followed them. "May I ask …?"

"You two must help me to find a completely special dress for tomorrow." Lorena said before the younger of the maids could end her question.

"Tomorrow already? But how?" The older one of the two maiden wanted to know.

The Trio had reached finally the door and stormed inside. So, as the door was closed Lorena felt onto the bed lucky like never before. "That I have to owe to Guy of Gisbourne" she laughed. She rose. "Actually the bishop wanted to shift the wedding on Saturday. But then Gisbourne emerged and gave me time until tomorrow to inform the Sheriff about my plans. Thus, my plan would have been void. After I inaugurated the bishop completely, he agreed to set the whole thing p on tomorrow. But now I need urgently a suitable dress."

The under cooled reunion

As it became time for dinner Lorena went to the dining room again, in which she almost felt for a sin the day before. _Whether he wants to see me today? I would not be surprised if he is still offended. Besides, he did not send after me this day at all, since I am back again there. Hopefully this cursed toady has not opened his flap already._

"At last you show up today?"

She was so much in thoughts that she had not noticed the Sheriff approaching. She whirled around and bumped almost with her nose against him. "Oh. It does sorrow to me, Sire. But I have completely forgotten the time. Farther I had to order my thoughts first of all again, after – after our dinner yesterday."

Without coming on it, he opened the door to the room. "I had hoped that I would know you at least at this time by my side. Therefore, I immediately allowed covering for two." He softly smiled as he offered to her to enter the room.

"You are a very farsighted man, Sire." _And one damn good looking one on top of it. Today, however, I must get a grip on myself! Today somehow under cooled and tomorrow it will be hot for it._ After she had taken her seat, she still waited for him to take place before she had taken herself something to eat.

"May I ask you what you have done over the day?"

"Only what itself is befitted for a woman, Sire." _Hopefully you still know nothing about my surprise._ "I am sure that your day has been more interesting than mine."

"I do not want to bore you with it" he gave to the answer.

"But, Sire. You cannot bore me at all." _Brrrrr, hold your horses, otherwise they'll run off with you again._ "Likely you have to decide and to direct a lot of things. You must be much occupied."

He laughed out loud shortly. "What want you to hear, my Lady? The fact that I let some tramps threw into the dungeon today. Or the fact that I have raised the reward on Locksley?" With the second question, he observed exactly her reaction.

_Locksley? Oh dear. I have not even thought of him at all so far. If he looks like he did in the movie, I can only hope that this ends in a different way. In a hundred years, I will not let him get at me!_ "So? How much stands then now on the head of the outlawed?" she asked unmoved.

"300 gold coins." In his voice, a curious undertone resonated.

"Then somebody should be found soon who delivers him to you. 300 gold coins are not to be despised." _I would even give him to you for free if I only knew where he roams around_.

"I want to hope this." Now somehow he sounded resigned. Had he hoped, she would give any sign of the bewilderment of herself? The rest of the supper ran quiet and at the end both said goodbye of each other, without it had come to any hotter little games.

The descended Sheriff

Angela woke Lorena as arranged before the sunrise to be helpful to her while dressing. Shortly before eight o'clock, the bishop wanted to allow ringing the bells to pretend that something had happened. At this time, Lorena would be already in the church and waiting in her bridal dress. After she carried, at last, the dress on her body and her hair was twisted to an impressive crown, in which some jewels sparkled, she sneaked out of the castle.

The Sheriff was not quite awake yet when suddenly the bells of the church started to ring. "What does this mean?" he asked confuses and infuriates his cousin. "We do not have Sunday at all."

"No, Sire. But perhaps something happened."

Exactly in this moment, Angela came into the throne hall, apparently completely dissolved. "Sir! The church! You must…" It did not need to address further words to him, because both he and Gisbourne ran past her. She smiled content about the fact that this small play was successful. Such a conspiracy could be fun.

Short time after the bells had started to ring, the Sheriff, his cousin and several guards with pulled out swords and stretched lances raced through the church door. However, with the sight, which presented itself to them, they stopped as taken root. In front of the altar stood not only a smiling bishop, but also a woman in a long, white dress who held a bouquet in the hand. "My Lady Marian." The Sheriff could only whisper. "What ...?"

"I accept your application, Sire." She smiled, although in her stomach a big knot danced polka.

Clattering the sword of the Sheriff fell to the ground. First hesitantly, then with brash steps he proceeded to her side. "I do not understand, my Lady." He looked deeply in to her eyes.

"I love you, Sire. In addition, I want to be no more days without you. Therefore, I accept your application." She held his look, got almost lost in these brown eyes.

Just as he wanted to lower the head for a kiss, the bishop switched himself on. "Forgive me, Sire. But you should wait with it until the blessing."

It was obvious that the Sheriff did not like this break, but he gave in. With closed eyes, he crunched through the teeth: "Naturally."

The bishop began with the ceremony and it appeared to be an endlessly consult. But, at last, everything was past and a delightfully long, tender kiss sealed the bond of marriage. She linked arms with her husband and both left side by side the church. Gisbourne and the soldiers were forgotten where they stood.

Wedding night during the day

Very gladly, Lorena allowed her husband to lead her throughout the castle. She had already a quite exact idea of where it should go and she agreed with it, of course. _I_ _may not go too brashly to the thing. Finally, I am a still completely inexperienced virgin._ Almost she had to laugh at this thought, but she got a grip on herself. Soon they stood before a door, which she had not crossed yet. He stood backwards to the door as he opened it. He did not even turn around as he pulled her into his bedchamber. Since the binding kiss, they had not talked with each other, but words would have been out of place anyway. Only ones, she let shortly her look wander throughout the room. It was bigger than the room in which she slept and quite centrally stood a big sky bed made out of dark wood with a fur blanket on it. Lorena dared to become a little saucily while she kicked the door shut with the foot. That behaviour brought her a little surprised face expression, which changed very quickly in to a frivolous grin. "You surprise me, Marian. First you wanted to know nothing about me and now this unexpected turn." He pulled her up to himself and tied his arms around her.

"I must confess our Dinner has woken my appetite, Sire." Now she put her arms around his hips. He smelled wonderfully tangy. No falsified smell by any deodorant, but simply man! A light abdominal pain became apparent and said to her that the appetite had given way to the hunger. She was not the only one who had this certain kind of hunger as she could feel clearly.

"Because we are married now, you should get used to my name, Marian." Remitted his hands went slowly higher and soon he easily pulled on the strings of the afterwards lace-ups.

_It was good that I had not insisted on it the knots too firmly to tighten_. "As you wish, George. I will strive to be you a good woman." She noticed that he finally succeeded the loop Lace ups to open, while he kissed her just as passionately as already at the Dinner two days ago. She allowed granting him as he further loosened the strings. _Is it usual in this time that a couple withdraws themselves already in the morning into the chamber to consummate the marriage? Oh, who should ask?_ Soon afterwards, the dress slipped to ground, so that she faced to him only in a petticoat and he withdrew a step to look at her. _Well, in my time you would now see silk and lace._ Now he took her hand and led her to the bed where they sat both down. Slowly and carefully he let his fingers walk away of the hand over her arm to the shoulder, devouring every inch of skin with his eyes. Then with his other hand he began to open the fasteners of his top. _OK, now it becomes interesting._ He pulled her up again to himself to a kiss and allowed to ask his tongue for admittance. He succeeded somehow to take off his Top, without he had separated from her and now she could let her hands move over his naked waist. His muscles felt just marvellously. In the meantime, his hands had found the way to her breasts, which they caressed and massaged now. Her nipples arose and he used the opportunity to catch them gentle between his fingers and to glide with the thumb over them. Her abdominal pain had spread out to a tickling in the whole body. Her breath went faster, but also he breathed not as calmly as recently. His right hand went deeper, soon glided over her thighs. First on the outside down up to the knee, then on the inside up again. He let himself time with the foreplay and Lorena it enjoyed to the full, even if she would have had nothing to argue against a Quickie. His warm, tender fingers searched purposefully their way for themselves. They touched her carefully on her vagina, before they started to stroke and to massage her lightly. She had to pull herself together not to grab him simply to the crotch. She had lain back on the fur blanket and now he lay already almost on her, after he had also taken off her petticoat. He felt how wet she already was and let first one, then a second finger penetrate into her where they began their rhythmic game. A light sigh slipped her out. Now he gave the attention of his lips and his tongue to her breasts. _God, damn! He knows exactly how it has to be!_ Then he withdrew himself, got up and took off his pants. Now nothing could conceal his arousal anymore. Carefully, almost as if she would be made of fragile glass, he lay down on her again. She started to tremble with ecstasy, but he misunderstood it. "Sh. Don't be afraid" he whispered in her ear. "It will hurt only briefly. Then you will get to know the most beautiful delights." He separated her legs a bit, and then he kissed her again on the mouth. She felt his clenched potency knocking at the gate to her little paradise and entering slowly. Inch for inch he penetrated farther into her. When he noted a light resistance, he pushed once a little stronger without dismissing her from the kiss. She winced a bit when he deflowered her, or better to be said the body of Lady Marian. Now he was completely in her and began slowly to move. He let it quite gentle go on. Lorena, following to the order of the desire, had tied her legs around him to make it possible for him to penetrate her even deeper. He pushed her infinitely slowly up to the a mountain, letting himself as much time as he did with the foreplay, nevertheless, he gradually raised the speed in his rhythm. Then she could simply not hold any more to herself. The waves of the excitation overran her, crashed onto her, and tore her with themselves into the depth, just to carry her immediately up to the heights again. He noted by her twitching and groaning that she was almost there. Now he drove his penis with violent punches in to her and almost at the same moment, they experienced their climax. Lorena was not used to feel the ejaculation, because she had consisted in her time always on a condom. But she had to admit that it felt just wonderful. Sweated and a little exhausted he sank next to her. "I think you will be a good wife to me, Marian."

She turned around to him, lay half down on him. "I promise you to be always faithful and to do what you require from me." She kissed him and cuddled up to him. Soon thereafter, both had fallen asleep.

Jealous witch

The witch ran restlessly before her altar up and down. Why had her charge not shown up for whole three days? Since the bells of the church had been rung so fathomless, he had not come to her any more. Then she made a decision and left her rooms. If her charge would not come to her, she had to go to him.

The Sheriff sat just in the throne room and discussed with his cousin which steps had to be taken against Locksley as the witch burst in. "Where have you roamed around the past three days?" she spat at him.

He felt a little rolled over and looked accordingly nonplussed. Before he had found his language again, Lorena took the floor: "In the marriage bed, witch." She based before the disfigured woman. "And I forbid that you talk with my husband in this way!"

"In ... the marriage bed?" The witch broke out in resounding laughter. "Do you believe this broad in all seriousness if she talks of fidelity? She will betray you with the first opportunity with Locksley!"

"You talk confused, witch!" shouted the Sheriff. "Lady Marian has turned away from him whether you like it now, or not." He put himself half before Lorena and sparkled darkly at the witch.

She still laughed. "We will see, my boy. We will see." Thereupon she simply turned away and left the married couple.

"Oh, this witch!" it slipped out Lorena. "How can she dare ...?"

"No. Do not rage against her, Marian. She cannot understand that you have turned to me, without she had to help with her art" he tried to appease her.

_I should roam around with Locksley? As you wish, bitch!_ "I need a horse!"

"A horse? What intend you?" Gisbourne announced himself now also to word.

"I will bring Locksley here! If it has to be in pieces!" Hate burned in her eyes. "And afterwards I will give her his head – with a ribbon in his hair" she growled.

The Sheriff addressed his cousin. "Let the horses be up-saddled. We will ride this very day into the forest."

"No, Sire." Lorena went in between. "Or - Yes! But I will first leave the city alone. Give me a lead of half an hour and an unsaddled horse. It must look as if I have fled before you and you would hunt me. Everyone will think that you have allowed bewitching me, so that I become obedient to you. Hopefully the outlawed will try to hide me from you. And this is our chance."

"Do you really believe that they will take you in so easily?" Gisbourne asked hesitantly.

"Perhaps not all. But Locksley! Certainly, he would not add it so easily, but the love makes him blind towards me." She grinned inclined. "Also Cupid's arrows can be fatal."

"Then we will do like you said." George of Nottingham took the hand of his wife and kissed it tenderly. "Half an hour of lead shall be granted to you, Marian. Then I will follow you with my men. But then, unfortunately, we will not be able to take any more consideration. We will ride hardly, so that the pursuit appears convincingly."

"No concern are needed, my husband. I will make it quite difficult for you. But I expect a reward as soon as I am back." She kissed him fervently.

"You will get a reward which you do not forget so quickly, my Lady Marian."

Escape and hunt

In the stable, Lorena jumped on to the back of a huge, black horse and whizzed in stretched gallop out of the door. Straight across the market place, without paying attention to the people who had to jump to the side not to be down-stretched by the thundering hoofs, and through the town-gate. She urged the horse to hurry whereby she did not preserve herself neither the animal. It had to look like as if she wanted to escape from the city as fast as possible.

The witch stood hidden behind a curtain and watched the escape. "I have known it! You false snake! But with it, you have made my son accessible to me." She laughed and made herself on the way the Sheriff.

The Sheriff stood in the stable and prepared the pursuit of his volatile wife in all peace of mind. In a few moments would Guy of Gisbourne with the soldiers storm in here to participate in the hunt. Only as the door to the castle swung open none of the soldiers stood there, but the witch. "I have warned you! I knew that she would turn her back on you, as soon as she could" she smirked.

"You do yourself ridiculously, witch" he returned indifferently. "She has not fled. She wants to deliver Locksley to me. Therefore, we pursue this charade."

"Have I really educated you so credulously? Then I must probably have made a little mistake." She went up to him. "She let you run in to the knife with seeing eye, jester!"

Hissing the sword blade came from its sheath and the top bored into the skin at the throat of the witch where some blood drops withdrew. "Do not dare to talk thus with me, witch. I trust Lady Marian. She is a good wife to me."

"You are blinded! But if you want to run in your downfall at all costs, I will not stop you" she nagged. She turned and limped back in to the castle.

The Sheriff looked disapproving after her. "Witch" he murmured bitterly. Then the door flew open again, but this time Gisbourne and the soldiers came running in to the stable.

As everyone sat on the horses, they broke from the stable and galloped through the town gate.

Reunions with Locksley

Lorena rode straight throughout the forest, far of the street leading through it. Some thin twigs had already torn her dress and had hit scratches in her face, but this was welcome to her. Since it would make her escape more credibly and, besides, the material scraps were good signposts. Because she was already now quite deep in to the forest, the first doubts announced themselves in her mind. _Blasted! Where are they hiding? And what do I do if I do not find them? George will not like this at all. And this cursed witch will be glad._ She heard obliquely behind herself the hoofs of a galloping horse. _Now already? Then, however, you have not kept your promise, George._

"Lady Marian!" A call resounded through the forest.

_What? This was not George._ She slowed down her horse and looked round. Through the trees, she could see a horseman on a white horse. _I will eat a hat! Locksley!_

The horseman came quickly closer to her. "Lady Marian! What a luck. At last, you have escaped from this monster." Robin of Locksley was beaming with happiness as he stopped next to her.

_Monster? Asshole!_ "Robin! I am so glad that I ..." She caught in to sob and let some tears arise.

"We should not stay here. I think the Sheriff will follow you, as soon as he notices that you are away."

"Of course" she said with played difficultly. "I am only so glad that I could come undone from the spell, which his witch put over me."

"Come. I will bring you to our hiding place." Locksley took to the reins of her black horse and rode deeper in to the forest.

Entrance of the Sheriff and his wife

Lorena had looked around in the hiding place of the outlawed and found it impressive what they had built in the middle of the wilderness. Repeatedly she had spun a story in which she had been bewitched by the witch of the Sheriff with some kind of spell that made her to agree to the marriage. She could infer from the dismayed sounds of the women and men around herself that they believed her in general. One of few, which apparently did not want to believe her, was a dark-skinned man who sat a little bit apart. He observed her suspiciously. Suddenly one of the guards shouted: "The Sheriff! He comes with his men!" Hurried activity in the camp prevailed in a flash.

Lorena felt suddenly a sharp blade at her throat from behind. "I knew that the Englishman might not have trusted you" the dark-skinned man growled.

To his bad luck, he could not know naturally that she visited regularly a self-defence in her own time. A fast, strong clout with the elbow in his pit of the stomach, followed by a well-aimed step onto his foot, a blow with the back of the head against his nose and a punch in his privates did their part to set him out of fight. Already at the next moment, she had taken his dagger and kept this now against his larynx pressed. "Now, then you were smarter than Locksley. Well done! So, what has it brought you? Nothing!" She pushed the blade into the throat of the man and left him behind dying, while she ran to the hidden entrance of the camp. She braced herself with all strength against the ropes and slowly the gate moved. It took some time, but then the crack was wide enough to let a rider pass. First the Sheriff whizzes in, closely followed by his cousin. They had already pulled out their swords and began to kill the outlawed where they crossed their way. Lorena ran with piled dress to the black horse, which had carried her in to the forest and jumped on its back without a lot of feather reading. Now was not the time to behave like a Lady. She tore the horse around and, jostled through the outlawed. _Where the hack is Locksley?_ In the occurred crowd of outlawed and soldiers, who had meanwhile completely opened the gate, it was difficult to get an overview. She found the Sheriff immediately, because he on his mould stood out of the amount. Because Locksley avoided still her field of vision, she decided on herself first to get to the side of her husband. Hardly, that she was close enough to him, so that he could hear her through the noise of the battle, she called: "Locksley has escaped from me! I do not find him!"

"We will find him after all!" was the answer. The voice of the Sheriff was heated up by the battle and in his eyes, the pure desire to kill was reflected.

Lorena noted a young person who aimed with a bow on her husband, drove her horse in his direction and rammed in past ride to him her foot in to the back, so that he hit on the ground. "Nobody aims at my husband and gets away with it!" she hissed. She noticed that in her slowly an uncontrollable hate spread, which frightened her. Now she rode directly near the Sheriff and could just stop his sword arm, before he killed a little girl in blind madness. "Hold on, my lord! We should arrest the survivors and bring them to the castle." She looked at him imploringly. "Perhaps we can lure Locksley to our terrain."

He looked about a short moment anxious at her because she stopped him, but then her words got to him. He breathed hardly, before he raised his voice: "Arrest the outlawed and brings them to the castle!" He bent down and lasted after the girl, who had crouched frightened on the ground. With a zest, he had lifted her to himself on the horse. "You will soon get to know my castle." His voice sounded almost lovingly, as he said this.

When all buildings were searched and all outlawed stood tied up behind the horses of the soldiers, the retinue went on the way back in the city. The little girl still sat in the arms of the Sheriff and clinched to a doll, which Lorena had found for her. Solely Locksley was absent. Because Lorena looked repeatedly searching around, the Sheriff whispered to her: "Do not grieve to you, Marian. Certainly, we could not get Locksley, but for it, we could arrest more or less all other outlawed. So, your move was successful."

"Yes. But he would have been the culmination" she grumbled bitterly and disappointed.

"Nevertheless, you have earned to you your reward." He grinned at her in his delightfully frivolous way.

Lorena had no choice. She also started to grin. "At least a ray of hope." Then she discovered in some distance behind the Sheriff another white horse, which carried a horseman through the thicket. "I do not believe this. He has guts!" She reached for the sword of her husband, but he took her hand.

"What is it, Marian?" he asked confused.

"Locksley. He follows us. I have just seen his horse over there."

The grin on the face of the Sheriff became wider. "Good! Very good! Let him follow us. The sooner we can get him. Here in the forest, we are in his terrain and he has unnecessary advantages. Have the patience, for which you have asked me, my love."

She knew that he was right. She let go the grasping of his sword. "Of course. Nevertheless, do not forget: I will give his head as a present to your witch - with ribbon around!" She laughed quietly and restrain.

Truth and lie

The evening had come over Nottingham. The outlawed stewed mostly in the meantime in the dungeons. Only the younger children had been spared of this fate. Now the little girl, who had almost been killed by the Sheriff, sat freshly bathed and in a new dress shyly in a corner in the throne room and looked around with big eyes. The other children at her age were also bathed and had been supplied with new clothes, but they had to wait in some rooms on the castle of the things, which should still come. Somehow, the Sheriff dotes on the little Girl. He watched her how she sat on her bolster and not ventured to move. "What has she?" he asked Lorena.

"Fear" was her simple answer. "After all, you almost would have cut her into two parts with your sword. We should let her go to the other children, until she has acclimatized a little." She just wanted to ask him for what he has planned actually with the girl, but suddenly the witch dropped in to the throne room.

"Had you not promised me the head of Locksley?" she smirked. Then she noticed the girl in the corner of the room and turned to her. "Oh, what do we have here?" she croaked.

The girl gave a sharpen shriek, jumped up, and ran to the Sheriff and Lorena to hide behind them. "You are frightening her, witch" commented George darkly. "What is all this?"

The witch broke out in resounding laughter. "Since when do you care about the welfare of children?"

Lorena, who had looked to the now completely frightened child, gavev her attention now again on the witch. "How do you dare to talk like this to my husband?" Her voice had assuming a sharp sound. Slowly she got up, but he held her back.

"You will receive the head, witch" he mentioned lightly. "But not today. So you can leave immediately again. Your presence is not wanted here."

"You blind fool still trust her?" She looked at her favourite with big eyes. "Do you really believe that she cares more about your well-being, than your own mother does?"

The last question hung in the air like the sword of the Damocles. "My ... Mother?" The voice of the Sheriff was only croaking.

"Yes! I AM your mother!" She laughed aloud like maniac.

His face collapsed formally in it, the look became blunt. Lorena looked between him and her back and forth, tries to remember the film. Nevertheless, she did not like at all what she could remember. Since also in the film the witch had been the mother of the Sheriff. Suddenly he shot upwards and shouted infuriated: "YOU LIE! You lie, miserable witch! My parents are dead! You have only raised me! Nothing more!"

The witch still laughed. "No. Oh no. You are my own flesh and blood!" Obviously, it seemed to be an enjoyment to her to rub it in to him.

Lorena decided to intervene. "You lie" she said quietly. "I know about you and your machinations from the notes of my father." Nothing of it corresponded to the truth, but she was sure to herself that she had to appear only convincing enough. "You have kidnapped more than only one child and robbed it its parents by insidious murders. It is a complete mystery to me, why you have not killed him as well for your rituals, like all those other children." She showed not a note of her light anxiety, but stood high raised next to her husband.

The witch got speechless and she needed a while to find it again. "What … what are you talking of, bitch?"

"You do not seem to like it that I know your past. Unfortunately, my father has entrusted the traitor Locksley with these notes, where they got destroyed in a fire some years ago. But in my memory they are still contained!" She could see that her little web of lies had success, because the witch began to tremble and stepped back.

"YOU cursed woman have killed my parents?" The eyes of the Sheriff had narrowed to sparkling slits.

"She lies!" shouted the witch frantic. "I am your mother! You must believe me!"

"GUARDS!" It did not take long, until some men followed the infuriated call of the Sheriff and rushed in to the throne room. "Take the witch to the dungeon! - And build a stake! I want to see her burn tomorrow!"

"NO! You cannot do this! You are my flesh and blood" the witch nagged terrified as she was dragged away by the men. Without saying a word, the Sheriff lifted the girl, who still kept hiding behind him and his wife, and offered Lorena his arm. "It is late. We should go to bed." Without turning one more time, all three left the throne room. The girl was given to a maid, so that she brought her back to the other children.

Realization

The Sheriff let himself drop heavily onto the bed and hid his face in his hands. Lorena sat down close to him and put an arm around him. Then she thought of something better, climbed on the bed to squat down behind him, and started massaging his neck. It took quite a while until he loosened up a bit. "If you would lie down I could loose the muscles of your whole back a little, George" she whispered to his ear. Like in trance, he rose and Lorena departed the shirt of him. Then he felt stretched out on the bed, the face hidden in one of the pillows. Lorena started quietly with the massage. She just wanted to make him relax, so that he could find at least a little bit of restful sleep.

She was already at least one hour massaging the musculature of her husbands back, as he reached for her hands and turned around to her. He looked downright dreamy on her hands, which got red by the massage, and then he pulled her down to himself and kissed her. "Marian" he breathed to her in the ear. "Why?"

She nestled her head to his breast, listened to the even, strong heartbeat, and closed her eyes. "Why what?" she asked him softly.

"Why did you invent this story with the kidnapped children?" His voice did not fit in the lowest to what he had asked her. It would be to expect that reproach and accusation would to be heard in it, but both were absent.

"I wanted to protect you" she gave him honestly to the answer. "I wanted to retain you from the disappointment. I have seen your face and could not act in a different way." She did not dare to open her eyes. She could only hope that her beautiful dream would not find in a sudden end because of this.

He tied both arms around her. "I love you, Marian." Then he pulled the fur blanket over them both. Arm in arm they fell asleep soon afterwards.

Dangerous man

The stake was set up and it could be only about hours until the witch should find her end on it. George of Nottingham stood at a window and looked silently at the place where the woman should die, who had told him the day before that she was his mother. For years, he had lived in the misconception that she had only raised him. Nevertheless, he rather believed to the lie that his wife had considered, as to the truth. Repeatedly he said to himself that this witch could not be his mother. She was a liar, even if he felt that she had said the toldh. He would certainly not show off with the burning. He showed no reaction as Guy of Gisbourne approached. "Cousin. The witch still requires see you."

Without turning away the look of the stake, he murmured: "I will not bend before her desire."

"She yells at the whole dungeon, expels the wildest curses and oath. Perhaps you should go … "

The Sheriff whirled around. "I said that I will not go to her!" he shouted at his cousin loudly. "This woman can practise witchcraft on me and cast as many curses at me as she wants! I am tired of her threats!" Shaking of fury, he rushed past the man out of the room and slammed the door behind himself.

Guy of Gisbourne was smart enough not to be follow him, because otherwise it would probably have happened to him what happened now to the soldier who unfortunately crossed the way of the Sheriff. George of Nottingham grabbed the soldiers sword and rammed it up to the shank into the chest, before he simply went on. To the next attendant he growled: "Clean up the corridor!" His way led him, without he had planned for it, to his wife in to the library.

Lorena sat with the little girl of the day before at the table of the library and tried to teach her the letters of the alphabet. Although the girl was briefly older than four years, she already did astonishing progress. Lorena had drawn the separate letters on sheets and now she pointed at the T. "This was which letter?"

"T?" Idony asked.

"Very good!" Suddenly the door opened up crashing and the Sheriff stared fixedly at the scene, which presented itself to him. Lorena recognized immediately that he was quite furious about something and, therefore, she said to the girl. "Go quickly back to the other children. We will continue tomorrow."

Idony scurried intimidated past the Sheriff and ran the corridor along. "What do you do with the child in here?" he growled, hardly that the child was gone.

"I try to teach her the reading, Sire."

He let the door behind himself fall back into its lock. "And what is this about? Why should the girl learn to read at all costs?" he asked quietly as he walked up slowly to his wife.

"Because it will not do any harm" she answered without thinking about what she said.

The Sheriff stood directly before her. Suddenly he packed her in the hair and tore her head to the back. "Do not any harm? Who did tell you that I will not hang her as well as the other outlawed?"

"Nobody, Sire." Lorena tried not to show how much he frightened her at the moment. "Of course, it is only your decision what should happen with her and the other children of the outlawed."

"Yes. It is my decision." He stopped. His eyes walked over her face. He kissed her, but this kiss lacked of any tenderness. It was even more the expression of a claim of ownership. Then he let go of her hair again, turned away, and left the library without turning around one more time.

Lorena shuddered. _This has to be because of the burning of the witch. He is quite suffering from nervous exhaustion. Now I will better take care a while of him. _She followed him.

Lorena found her husband in the throne room. He sat on the throne and stared furiously onto a place, which only he could see. Silently she sat down on the place, which had been ascribed to her as his wife, and waited. She knew that she might not irritate him any further. Nevertheless, it was also clear to her that she had to be with him at all costs. She was ready to sit here hour after hour if necessary and to wait for a reaction of him. Even, if he simply yells at her.

Half a day had passed by, without the Sheriff had directed even one word to Lorena. He sat only somewhere brooding, run aimlessly throughout the castle, or had smashed something - or someone. However, she was following him silently all the time. Now he stood again at the window from which he had examined the built stake in the morning. Lorena held herself back and stood next to the door. _If I only knew how to deflect him, without he breaks my neck immediately._ She looked at him anxiously. Suddenly the Sheriff whirled to her, crossed the room with only three steps and then he stood no more than a meter from her. He supported himself at the wall behind her, his hands on the right and on the left close to her head. Again, he kissed her without a trace of tenderness. She felt the demand behind this kiss and was ready to arise to it. With one arm he pulled her roughly to himself, while he loosened with his other hand the Lace-ups of her dress. The dress fell soon to the ground, closely followed by the petticoat. His kisses were still rough, just as his touches. He tore himself his clothes of the body to waste no time. In spite of the almost already brutal action of him, Lorena got aroused. He pulled her left leg upwards and pressed her against the wall. Then he shagged without hesitation in her. He took her unusual hard and quick. Nevertheless, she also had her joy in it. His hard thrusts drove her soon to the border of ecstasy, the high waves of the passion were stronger than ever, she groaned and soon she let her feelings run free and cried out her lust. These cries seemed to spur on him only more, because he put even more strength in his thrusts. Then he got to his climax at the same time with her and while he dedicated himself to his relief, he bit her into the shoulder. Blood came out where he had sunk his teeth in to her skin. When she saw in to his eyes, his look had something insane in itself. Anyway, Lorena was too exhausted, as that she could have taken exception to it. However, he simply turned away and got dressed again, whereupon he left the room wordless. She let sink herself first to the ground, before she also dressed again and followed him again.

The executed judgement

The night would soon come upon Nottingham and with it came the last hour of the witch. Some soldiers dragged her to the market place, while she was still shrilly nagging and spitting out the vilest curses. "If you are going to kill your mother, at least show up! Miserably coward! You shall never become happy again! The devil shall get you and your bitch!" nagged the witch, as they had chained her to the pale.

The Sheriff could not hear her, because he had withdrawn himself into a small room, which lay on the opposite side of the castle. He wanted neither to see something, nor to hear anything from the execution. Completely lost in thoughts he sat in this room on a chair and stared through Lorena, who had joined him again after the unexpected attack. She did not move herself, or tried to get in contact with him in any way. So both just sat there, waiting that the time passed by.

Hours had passed in which no words were spoken, or the married couple had moved a lot. Then the door to the small room into which they had withdrawn was opened and Guy of Gisbourne came in quietly. "The judgement is fulfilled, Sir. The stake has completely burned down and the witch is dead." The Sheriff did not seem to react to it, because he stared furthermore through his wife. His cousin was not sure to himself what he should do now and, therefore, he looked questioningly to Lorena, who shook almost imperceptibly her head. Thereupon he bowed and left the room again.

The silence hung furthermore icily in the room. But then, at last, the Sheriff moved. His voice was quiet and hardly to understand because of the rough tone. "I ordered to kill my own mother." Lorena followed an impulse and got up, went to him to lean her forehead against his knee. She noticed that he started to stroke through her hair, not from desire, but rather lost in thoughts. "She was a malicious woman." It sounded almost so as if he wanted to look for an excuse for what he did.

Now Lorena dared to open her mouth. "You are right, Sire. She was malicious. Now she is no more any longer. We must think of what to come and not of what is past now." In addition, to bring him finally on other thoughts, she mentioned his archenemy. "Locksley is still free, Sire. We should direct our efforts now upon him." She looked up and their eyes met.

"Does it still hurt very much?" he asked her soft and suddenly.

"Pardon me?" She did not understand about what he was asking her. Then it became clear to her that he meant the bite, which he had caused to her. "Oh, no." She smiled.

"I do not know what got me." He removed the part of the dress, which had covered the bite on her shoulder and let his fingers carefully wander about the fresh scab.

She took carefully his hand of her shoulder and kissed his fingers. "It is nothing. In a few days nothing more shall be seen of it."

Now he lowered his head to her and kissed her. But in a different way than the whole day. This kiss was filled with tenderness and the unspoken plea not to leave him. He got up and pulled her up to himself. "We should go to bed. Tomorrow we can still take care of Locksley."

"Of course." Lorena confirmed. _He seems to be calmed down. Lucky me. _

Archenemies

She had link arms with her husband and went now with him through the innumerable corridors. Because it was still early in the morning, a strange silence ruled the castle. However, it looked to her as if the soldiers and other attendants tried to get out of their way since the burning of the witch on the day before. But so this fact did not shock her, she even greeted it, because of it there would probably be no new provocations. She had no idea how wrong she was thinking this way. George and Lorena turned just into the corridor, which led to the throne room as a door flew crashing open and a man with a pulled out sword came stumbling out of the room behind it. Although he still turned the back on them, she recognized him immediately. "Locksley!" she let slip.

George of Nottingham pushed her aside and ran back to the last guard, which they had passed. He snatched the sword from this soldier and got himself ready for the battle man against man.

Robin of Locksley had turned around with the denomination of his name and stared for one moment confused at Lorena lying at the ground, whom he saw naturally as Lady Marian, before he directed his attention upon the Sheriff. "Today your reigns of terror will end" he growled bitterly.

"I hold this as a rumour" the Sheriff replied. The blades of the swords whizzed through the air and met rattling. Lorena held it as better to withdraw for the time being from the immediate danger zone. Pressed to the wall she crawled a bit away from the determinedly fighting men, before she jumped up and ran back the way which she had come with her husband. She knew exactly where she wanted to go: the armoury.

Yes, my dear! Run like a deer, die like a deer!

Armed with a longbow and several arrows, which she carried in a quiver bound to her right leg, Lorena ran back to the corridor in which her husband fought against Locksley. To have a little bit more freedom of movement, she had cut the skirt of her dress without further ado into two halfs and tied it up like trousers. It certainly looked not as proper as it should for a woman, but it made no difference to her. Soon she had reached the hallway again and still she heard how the blades of the swords clashed. As finally both men came into her field of vision, she pulled out one of the arrows and aimed for Locksley. Unfortunately, she did not get clear for shooting, because the Sheriff ran repeatedly in to the line of fire. After he had messed up a good shot already for the third time, she yelled at him: "GET DOWN, GEORGE!" The Sheriff heard her and let himself fell down on the knees. Already in the next moment, an arrow hummed through the , which hit only the left shoulder of Locksley. "Damn it!" She put on the next arrow and aimed again. Locksley had used this short moment to flee into one of the rooms, which bordered the corridor. "This can't be … he runs like a deer before the hunter" scolded Lorena, as she ran after him.

"Wait! Marian!" The Sheriff had jumped on the feet again and now he followed her.

She heard how a window got smashed and ran in the direction from which rattling had come. As soon as she had reached the broken window, she could see a few meters below herself, how the injured Locksley tried to escape. "Yes, my dear!" she called to him. "Run like a deer, die like a deer!" She inhaled deeply, concentrated, took aim, released slowly the air from her lungs, and let the arrow fly. The arrow hit the fleeing exactly between the shoulder blades, let him stumble thereupon and fall to the ground. "Bastard!" she growled. As she turned around, she looked into the confused face of George of Nottingham.

"Who has taught you to shoot like this?" he asked with plainly surprise in his voice.

_Blasted! It is not usually for women at this time._ "Nobody, Sire. But I followed my father often to the hunt, without his knowledge. I could learn a lot of things, without he knew about it." Hopefully he believes this story. He looked at her as if he was not sure to himself whether he might believe her, or better not. "I know it is not proper for a woman, or at that time still a girl, to join to such a pleasure. And, actually, I found the hide-and-seek before my father and his companions much more interesting, than the hunt itself. But if one sees again how the men hunt down the game …"

"You surprise me again and again, Marian." He grinned amused. "Now we should go and take look if you hunted down your game."

"Yes, my beloved husband." _Sheesh, this was close._ Relieved she removed the strings, which she had used to tie the cut skirt, slang the bow over her shoulder and went out of the room aside the Sheriff.

A bad surprise

The Sheriff went sluggishly, arm to arm with his wife, throughout the market place on which Locksley lay with the face downwards stretched out. "It appears as if are you a true markswoman, Marian" he said properly cheerfully. As he arrived at Locksley, he went down on a knee and turned the outlaw around. Then everything went in a rush. Somehow, the seemingly dead Locksley had suddenly his sword back in his hand, Lorena shouted out and tried to push the Sheriff out of the way, but she tripped over some skirt scraps and fell exactly on him. The blade of Locksleys sword bored through them both and on the market place of Nottingham three lives found their end on this morning.

Everything just a dream?

Soaked in sweat Lorena jumped up. Completely confused she looked around herself and needed an eternity to recognize that she was in her own bedroom. The blue painted walls gleamed coolly in the light of the early morning sun and outside, in front of the window, the traffic rushed past. Slowly her pulse calmed down and very exhausted she felt down on her soft pillow. _So, everything was just a dream? I have not been in Nottingham? But, everything felt so real…_ tears ran down her face. Almost suddenly, an incredible feeling of emptiness spread out in her. She had fallen in love with the Sheriff of Nottingham, had married him and now – now she had lost him.

After she had lain some hours just in her bed without moving, staring tedious at the ceiling, she got up and went to her bathroom. She turned on the shower and got undressed. Coincidentally her look wandered to the mirror. Shocked she found out that on her chest was a long scar, which she had never seen before. And on her shoulder was the fresh scab of a bite to be seen. Carefully she let the fingers of her left hand wander over that point. Only gradually, she noted the ring, which she carried on the hand. She stared at it fixedly. Then it came to her. The ring looked just like the ring the Sheriff had given to her in her dream at their third day. Shortly before she met the witch for the first time. Again, tears arose in her, but these were tears of joy. Now, she knew that she had been with him. She knew that he and she had been as one. And she also knew that this ring would connect him with her for all time. Even if she would never be able to tell it to anybody: She was and remained the wife of the Sheriff of Nottingham!

**The End**


End file.
